The Controversy at Phia, Phoebe Gates’ Buzzy Startup
· 20 min
Episode The Controversy at Phia, Phoebe Gates’ Buzzy Startup
The online shopping app Phia raised over $43 million and captured media attention for its A-list investors and its high-profile co-founders — Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, and her college roommate and podcast co-host Sophia Kianni.
But Bloomberg reporting suggests that Phia was pushing features that took credit for sales it didn’t drive. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg technology editor Olivia Solon shares her reporting on Phia and what the startup’s founders may have known about those features.
Read more:
• Gates Heir’s Shopping App Claimed Sales It Didn’t Drive • Phoebe Gates Knew Phia Shopping App Took Credit for Sales It Didn’t Drive
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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Olivia Solon.
Fact-checking by Victor Swezey and Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Alex Sugiura and Emma Munger.
Senior Producer and Editor: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Links in the notes 4
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-09/gates-heir-s-shopping-app-took-credit-for-sales-it-didn-t-drive
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-11/phia-app-co-founders-pushed-for-features-taking-credit-for-sales-it-didn-t-drive?srnd=undefined
- https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts
- https://omnystudio.com/listener
Transcript
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